Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

The July sun had just set, and the Qingcheng city walls were still steaming with the residual heat of the day.

Chu Kuang's five fingers dug deeply into the cracks of the blue bricks, and his knuckles turned white from excessive force.

His armor glowed dark red in the twilight, as if soaked in blood.

"Your Highness Prince Zhao!" Jia Yu's voice came from behind, carrying the sultry atmosphere unique to July.

The strategist's blue robe was soaked with sweat and stuck to his thin body.

He reached out to press Chu Kuang's arm armor, but was shuddered by the burning iron armor.

Chu Kuang turned around suddenly, and the sword at his waist collided with the armor, making a sharp sound.

"Jia Yu!"

He roared, his voice like thunder rolling over the city walls: "How long do you want me to wait?"

He grabbed Jia Yu's collar and lifted the frail counselor off the ground: "Look outside the city!"

The scene outside the city was breathtaking.

The afterglow of the setting sun dyed the battlefield blood red, and the flags of the Western Liang cavalry moved with difficulty in the encirclement of the Tang army.

Every moment, cavalrymen fell down, and the neighing of horses and the screams of soldiers mixed together, floating to the top of the city with the heat wave.

Jia Yu's Adam's apple rolled, but he still insisted: "Your Highness, His Majesty's plan cannot fail!"

"Bullshit plan!"

Chu Kuang put Jia Yu down heavily, turned around and punched the battlement, sending gravel flying.

The corners of his eyes twitched as his gaze shifted between the battlefield outside the city and the reinforcements gathering inside.

Sweat trickled down his temples and gathered in drops at his chin.

He roared, "Are you going to watch General Ma Chao and his cavalry die outside the city?"

Jia Yu's face was solemn, and he said seriously: "We still have about 4,000 cavalry outside the city. We should be able to hold out for a while!"

"As soon as we receive the news, the Tang army will be in chaos. Your Highness, Prince Zhao, please wait a little longer!"

Chu Kuang narrowed his eyes and was about to start scolding, but when he thought about Chu Ning's plan, he snorted coldly:

"I can wait another half hour. If there is no news after half an hour, I will personally lead my men out of the city to fight!"

"Pass the word, Xiliang cavalry, prepare, and the Modao team is also on standby at the city gate!"

Today's plan may fail, but he absolutely cannot let Ma Chao die outside the city.

To be on the safe side, he gathered the elite troops in the city at the city gate, ready to go out of the city to support Ma Chao at any time.

The sounds of fighting outside the city became more and more brutal.

Ma Chao's warhorse had fallen three times. At this moment, he was riding a black horse captured from the Tang army. The wound on his left shoulder continued to bleed, staining his silver armor dark red.

"General! The East Wing can't hold on!"

The deputy general came on horseback to report that his helmet was missing and a wound on his forehead was bleeding profusely.

Ma Chao spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and squinted his eyes towards the east.

The Tang army's heavily armored infantry were advancing like an iron wall, and wherever they passed, the Xiliang cavalry were thrown to the ground.

"Move the archers forward," he ordered hoarsely, "and use the fire arrows to hold them back."

At this moment, a wild laugh pierced the battlefield: "Ma Chao! Today is the day you die!"

Qin Qiong held two maces in his hands, and the Chu army fell to the ground wherever he passed.

His armor was covered in blood and flesh fragments, looking particularly hideous in the firelight.

Ma Chao clenched the spear in his hand, and his knuckles made a crackling sound.

"You've come just in time," he sneered, "so I don't have to go looking for you."

Even though he was injured, Ma Chao remained unafraid and charged forward to kill.

At this time, Li Shiming was standing on horseback in front of the Tang army's center.

The July night was still hot and humid, but he was in a particularly good mood. The chilled wine that the waiter had just brought him was gleaming attractively in the glass.

"Report—" The messenger's voice suddenly broke the silence: "The rear army has advanced as planned!"

Li Shiming smiled and nodded. Just as he was about to raise his glass, there was a sudden and unusual vibration from the ground.

The wine glass slipped from his hand, leaving a purple-red stain on the wool carpet.

"What's going on?" He stood up suddenly, only to see a fast horse breaking through the guards' obstruction.

The scout on horseback was covered in blood and almost rolled at his feet.

"Your Majesty... Your Majesty..."

A sound like a broken bellows came from the scout's throat: "Camp... Camp..."

Li Shiming kicked the table in front of him away, squatted down and grabbed the scout's collar: "Speak clearly!"

"It's the Chu army! Flying a flag with the symbol of a horse... their 20,000 cavalrymen charged into our camp, and our food and fodder... are all gone!"

The scout said this with a slight tremor, lowering his head and not daring to look up.

Li Shiming only felt a black screen before his eyes, his body shook twice, and he almost fell off the horse.

After finally calming himself down, Li Shiming fiercely asked, "How many Chu soldiers have gone? How many of our troops are left? Who is leading the enemy army?"

The soldier trembled slightly and said, "They have about 20,000 cavalrymen, and the leader should be from the Ma family of the Xiliang Iron Cavalry. Our 30,000-man army suffered heavy losses, and now there are less than 3,000 left!"

The July heat wave suddenly became biting, and Li Shiming felt dizzy again. The shouting and killing sounds in the distance were getting closer and closer, and the firelight made the tent red.

Coming back to his senses again, Li Shiming tightly gripped the sword at his waist, his knuckles turning white.

He looked towards Qingcheng. The large flag with the word "Chu" on the city wall was particularly eye-catching in the firelight.

In a trance, he seemed to see Chu Kuang's arrogant smile and Chu Ning's half-smile face.

After a long pause, Li Shiming roared in anger, "Damn it! I've been tricked! Chu Ning deliberately made me think he had transferred his main forces to the western front!"

But even though he had fallen into a trap, there were only two options before him: either call off the attack and suffer in silence.

Or you can go ahead and continue to attack Qingcheng!

"Send an order..." His voice was so hoarse that it didn't seem like his own: "Sound the horn... Retreat!"

"Your Majesty!" the general beside him said anxiously, "If we withdraw our troops now, all our previous efforts will be wasted!"

Li Shiming turned around abruptly, a fierce glint in his eyes: "So you want me to wait here to die?"

He drew out the Emperor's Sword, the blade gleaming an eerie red in the firelight. "Order the entire army, retreat immediately! Anyone who disobeys will be executed!"

On the city wall, Chu Kuang suddenly straightened his back.

He narrowed his eyes and pointed at the billowing smoke rising from the rear of the Tang army in the distance: "Jia Yu! Look what that is?"

Jia Yu looked in the direction he was looking, and finally a smile appeared on his lips: "Your Highness, it's a signal smoke signal. Your Majesty's surprise attack has succeeded."

Chu Kuang laughed loudly towards the sky, and his laughter shocked the soldiers on the city wall and made them look sideways.

He grabbed the big knife standing by the wall, the blade gleaming blood-red in the sunset:

"Open the city gates! Cavalry, and the Modao troops, follow me to kill the enemy!"

The heavy city gate slowly opened, and Chu Kuang rushed out of the city gate first.

Behind him, three thousand Modao warriors lined up, their sharp blades forming a wall of death.

Outside the city, Ma Chao, who was fighting hard, saw the city gate open and was immediately cheered up:

"My men! Reinforcements are coming! Follow me and kill!"